Friday, January 22, 2016

First 2015 Draft Pick to Reach MLB

The New York Yankees have not had the greatest draft history
under current GM Brian Cashman. To put it into a word or two the Yankees draft
status has actually sucked since the farm system produced the Core Four but times
seem to be a changing down on the farm. The Yankees are actually, and finally,
producing MLB ready and caliber talent out of their farm system through
international free agent signings and the draft and actually saw their top
overall draft pick from 2014, Jacob Lindgren, make his Major League debut in
2015. The Yankees drafted 16th overall in the 2015 MLB Draft taking
James Kaprielian in a draft where the team went very heavy on college players
to mix with the batch of 16-18 year old IFA’s they signed, which one will pull
a Jacob Lindgren and reach the Major Leagues first? Is it Kaprielian or the
team’s other first round pick Kyle Holder? Maybe a wild card?

Predicting what will happen in the minor leagues is like
predicting the winning powerball number when the jackpot gets up above a
billion dollars. Everyone thinks they can do it but not many truly can with any
consistency. Kaprielian looks like the most obvious choice because he was
deemed Major League ready straight out of the draft but the Yankees have not
been historically aggressive with their minor league players. For every Ian
Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain there were the others who stayed in the minor
leagues for far too long thus reversing any development they had. Mix that in
with the fact that the Yankees already have six or seven options for the
starting rotation on the active roster and the fact that Kaprielian does not have
a 40 man roster spot on a suddenly overcrowded roster means that Kap may not be
the first time come up.

What about Holder, the pick that shocked the fans at the end
of the first round and left many scratching their heads as to what Brian
Cashman and his group of trusted associates were actually thinking there.
Holder, a shortstop by trade, runs into the same familiar position that
Kaprielian finds himself in. Holder plays a position that is seemingly blocked
for a long, long time by Didi Gregorius. A switch to second base wouldn’t even
help Holder at this point as Starlin Castro seems to have the lockdown on that
spot for the next five seasons so maybe third base is in Holder’s future? If it
is it will take Holder more than a season or two to learn the position while
develop enough with the bat to justify his placement there. Remember Holder was
taken as a raw prospect despite going to college because he recently switched
to baseball full-time, although his defense is said to be ready and elite.

So if it’s not Kaprielian and it’s not Holder and it’s not a
player like Jeff Degano who simply doesn’t have the professional innings to
make a serious run at the big leagues then who? Well I have two options and it
seems like both will be in a sprint towards the Bronx as soon as this summer if
all goes according to plan. Chance Adams was drafted in the 5th
round by the Yankees while Will Carter was drafted in the 14th round
for the Yankees and are both right-handed pitchers. Adams is 21-years old and
has already dominated at three levels of the minor leagues for New York
starting in Staten Island and finishing the season with five games with the
High-A Tampa Yankees. If Adams continues his dominance he could be at Double-A
Trenton within a month or so and Triple-A by the All Star Game.

Adams posted a combined 35.1 innings in his debut season
with 45 strikeouts, nine walks, a 1.78 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP and a 32.2 K/9 ratio as
his 95-96 MPH fastball and sharp slider were on full display. Meanwhile Carter
was drafted as a starting pitcher out of the University of Alabama and
immediately converted into a relief pitcher after struggling with the Crimson
Tide. Carter started with the Staten Island Yankees after being drafted last
season and posted a 2.04 ERA in 17.2 innings with 13 K’s and nine walks. Carter
struggles with his command but showcases a fastball that touches 97 MPH and
above as a relief pitcher which generates a ton of ground balls. Carter induces
almost 60% of his outs on the ground which can help when he is in the zone and
not walking batters. Control will always be Carter’s biggest issue though and
until or unless he fixes that he will always be one step behind Adams in the
race for the Major Leagues in 2016.